Road Safety Audit

Road safety audits are undertaken by staff with experience of collision data analysis, road safety engineering and an understanding of highway design principles such as design requirements and best practice.

All highway improvement schemes will normally require an independent Road Safety Audit, with the exception of ‘like for like’ maintenance schemes. Road Safety Audits aim to identify potential road safety hazards arising from planned changes to the road layout but they are not technical checks against design standards.

In carrying out Road Safety Audits, the Audit team should consider road safety issues for all road users and will ask two key questions of the scheme

• Who could be hurt in a collision on this part of the road and how could that happen?
• What can be done to reduce the potential for that collision or to limit its consequences?

Road Safety Audits

Safety Audits are conducted in accordance with GG119 (formerly HD19/15) of the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges.

Road Safety Audits go through four key phases and are as follows:-

• Stage 1 Road Safety Audit

• Completion of preliminary design, normally prior to the submission for planning permission

• Stage 2 Road Safety Audit

• Completion of detailed design, usually before the tender documents have been submitted

• Stage 3 Road Safety Audit

• Completion of construction prior to opening (or completion if on a ‘live’ highway)

• Stage 4 Road Safety Audit

• Post opening collision monitoring (12 months after opening of the highway scheme)

Sometimes the Stage 1 and 2 Road Safety Audits can be combined; most often if the works are smaller in nature, or if the principle of the scheme has already been agreed (e.g. if planning permission has been granted without a Stage 1 Safety Audit) and the design is progressing straight to the detailed design stage.

Some highway improvement schemes may not require Stage 4 Road Safety Audits; and it is for the relevant authority to confirm if further collision monitoring/investigation is required.

The Road Safety Audit team members may be from the same organisation undertaking the Highway Improvement scheme design but must be independent of the scheme design/process.

Road Safety Audits may be undertaken on highway schemes covering:

• Major and minor highway improvements
• Traffic management and calming schemes
• Pedestrian and cycling schemes
• Roundabout junctions
• New or amended traffic signal junctions
• Priority junctions
• Motorway improvements
• Temporary Traffic Management in place for 6 months or more